Brent Lawrence, a public affairs officer there, declined to say what the policy reversal might mean specifically for the local refuges.

In a written statement, he said, "The 2014 decision to limit the use of genetically modified organisms and the use of neonicotinoid pesticides across the refuge system limited the on-the-ground latitude of refuge managers to deploy the appropriate agricultural practices necessary to meet their conservation objectives and their refuge's specific purpose."